So former Howard government minister for communications, Richard Alston doesn’t believe that privatising the ABC is., as he put it, ‘a serious option’.
OK then, what’s to be done?
Given what can only be described as ‘the deep state’ of the ABC with it’s obvious political agenda on a myriad of issues that are inimical to the national interest of Australia and by Alston’s own admission whilst minister, “considered itself unique and almost a law unto itself, which did not hesitate to leak and intimidate to advance its cause” and further, given that even with a new managing director and chairman there are absolutely no signs of reform, self-awareness or introspection, perhaps the only remaining option is for the government to fund a second national broadcaster.
Operating under the same roof with compulsory acquisition and use of existing tax payer funded ABC facilities this ‘other’ ABC would have its own guidelines, principles and charter to deliberately convey the other side of so many stories the ABC refuses to cover or to the extent that they do, with their typical bias by omission and guest selection or as in the case of Bruce Pascoe and his divisive, invented and fake aboriginal history, Dark Emu, an unashamed and incurious barracker and cheer squad, which refuses to challenge or ask for supporting evidence to justify his claims.
Back in the days of vinyl 45 records, (a single) there was an A side and a B side. Radio stations played the A side and the B side very rarely, if ever, got any airplay at all.
This analogy sits well as a description with the ABC’s approach to the ventilation of issues. They have their favourite, A side and the other side, the B side, never gets an airing.
If the ABC refuses to change, or play the B side, then change must be forced up on them.